Goldberg: More deception from NBC News

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," February 25, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly, reporting from Los Angeles. In the "Weekdays with Bernie" segment tonight, in recent months, NBC News has been chastised three times for doctoring tapes that promoted a left-wing ideology.

Mitt Romney is made to look bad on the Andrea Mitchell program, George Zimmerman suing NBC News over a doctored tape in the Trayvon Martin case. And NBC was accused of deceptive editing in the Newtown Massacre story.

Now, there's another problem. Last Wednesday in Arizona, the mother of an Aurora, Colorado shooting victim spoke with Senator John McCain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN TEVES, MOTHER OF AURORA, COLORADO SHOOTING VICTIM: My 24-year- old son, Al, who was murdered in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. These assault weapons allow a shooter to fire many rounds without having to reload.

These weapons do not belong on our streets.

JOHN MCCAIN, SENATOR, ARIZONA, (R): I can tell you right now, you need some straight talk. That assault weapons ban will not pass the Congress of the United States.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Wow, that sounds kind of cold, does it not. And here is what an MSNBC commentator said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC COMMENTATOR: Obviously, there was an edit between the end of the woman's question and the part where John McCain sneers the straight-talk line at her.

So, maybe, that edit was cut in a way that's not fair to John McCain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: And that's exactly what happened. The cut was not fair to the Senator. So, why did the commentator use it. Why didn't NBC News check it out before they aired it.

And, obviously, the senator was not sneering at anyone. Joining us now from Miami, the purveyor of bernardgoldber.com, Mr. Goldberg.

Now, Bernie, before you get to your commentary, I want to play for the audience what Senator McCain actually said to Karen Teves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: Our hearts and our prayers go out to you and your family. And I just -- we had town hall meeting yesterday in Tucson and there were people there who are affected by this terrible tragedy of the shooting there.

I've met with Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords in my office last week on this issue which, you know, they are becoming understandably great advocates on this issue. And I will continue that conversation.

I can tell you right now, you need some straight talk. That assault weapons ban will not pass the Congress of the United States.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: All right. So, what say you.

BERNARD GOLDBERG, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, this running doctored tapes or heavily-edited tapes is getting to be a bad habit over there at MSNBC, isn't it.

I mean, either they do the doctoring themselves as they did with Romney and the gun people in Connecticut or the Travis -- the 911 tape with Trayvon Martin, or this, to make John McCain look bad, or they run somebody else's edited tapes as they did in this case.

I have long argued, Bill, as you know, that liberal media bias is not part of a conspiracy. They don't get together in a back room and say, "Let's get those conservatives today."

The problem is groove thing, too many liberals in the newsroom. But this is intentional. They do this -- it happens too many times. They do this to smear and destroy their ideological foes.

And they do it because it's part of a business model that works. Pander to your audience, give them whatever the hell they want, and you can make a lot of money doing it.

And here's where you and I have disagreed in the past, Bill. I blame top management for this. You have said to me, "Management doesn't know what goes on in the editing room down in the basement some place."

Now, maybe, after the first time, they don't. But when it happens over and over and over and over again, it's management's fault and they should be held responsible for this.

O'REILLY: All right, well look, they replaced the NBC News President Kappas. He's out. Comcast, I don't believe is an ideological outfit, they own NBC.

However, I do agree with you -- and it's undeniable because the commentator on the program even said, she knew the tape is doctored.

GOLDBERG: Well, she said --

O'REILLY: And then told the audience -- go ahead.

GOLDBERG: She said, "This tape has been edited and it may not reflect the real feelings of John McCain," --

O'REILLY: But I'm going to use it anyway. Right. And that's insane. But she also said that McCain sneered at the woman. And he didn't sneer --

GOLDBERG: That's right.

O'REILLY: -- at all.

GOLDBERG: That's right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: And so, the level of dishonesty that is now in play is -- I don't know, what word would you put on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The level of dishonesty in play is --

GOLDBERG: Well, it's corrupt. But, you see, the problem I have, Bill, is that this stuff looks like journalism. I mean, it's about events of the day, it's about news, it's about having newsmakers on your show and all that.

It looks like journalism but journalism has very little of anything to do with it. It's all about ideology. It's all about destroying people you disagree with.

-- who says she's an escort and says, "Yes, Menendez paid me to have sex."

I never use unidentified sources on an investigative story ever. Have you? And what do you think about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLDBERG: You know, I was at CBS News for 28 years. I may have run an unidentified source. Frankly, I don't remember. But here's what I think about this.

First of all, I don't care if Senator Menendez paid a prostitute for sex. I don't care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I know prostitution is illegal in this country and I still don't care. I don't like the idea that it's an unnamed source.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But I'm going to be honest with you, Bill, if it was a named source, I still won't care. Second --

O'REILLY: Still, I'm going to have to report it -- look, it's not underage on this one. We'll make that clear.

GOLDBERG: No, no. I know. If underage, that's important.

O'REILLY: If the Governor of New York had to quit because of it, so - - with a big guy like that like a senator or governor, you've got to report it, Bernie, if it's true.

GOLDBERG: Well, well, yes, if it's true. And I'm saying, I don't care. I don't care. Is it news --

O'REILLY: All right. But the folks need to know.

GOLDBERG: He's a U.S. senator, fine. I guess, you can make that case.

O'REILLY: You can.

GOLDBERG: But I'm also wondering what the motivation is of the people who are obsessed with this story. If it's underage girls, that's news. That's legitimate.

That's a story. You know, big girls who go out and are hookers, I don't care.

O'REILLY: All right, Bernie Goldberg, everybody.

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